This is the question experts and drivers have been asking themselves for years concerning the overall safety of 15-passenger vans. The truth is that 15-passenger vans have been found to be some of the most dangerous vehicles on road, in part due to their incredibly high rollover rates, which are often fatal.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a variety of warnings over the past several years about the unsafe structural design of 15-passenger vans along with startling statistics about the fatality and injury rates of passengers involved in rollover accidents.

What are the odds of a rollover?

The NHTSA found that the odds of a rollover are greatly increased when the van has more than 10 occupants. The chance of a rollover increases 400% when a 15-passenger van is fully loaded.

Due to the flawed design of the van, this amount of passengers raises the van's center of gravity and causes the weight to shift to the rear of the vehicle. This weight shift causes the van to have less resistance to avoid a rollover situation and to handle differently than other vehicles, making controlling the van especially difficult in an emergency situation. Placing any additional objects or loads on the roof of the van also raises the center of gravity, increasing the odds of a rollover.

The main danger involved with these vehicles is that on the one hand they are "designed" to transport up to 15 people, yet their actual design makes carrying that amount of passengers extremely dangerous and has resulted in over 1,200 fatal accidents since 1990.

What would cause a 15-passenger van to rollover?

Rollover accidents involving 15-passenger vans can be a result of a combination of causes involving the driver, road conditions, and how the van reacts.

In a study of single vehicle crashes, meaning no other vehicles were involved in the accident, 90% of rollovers occurred when the driver lost control of the vehicle. Common reasons why a driver can lose control of a 15-passenger van include:

The van striking a ditch or embankment on a rural road, being "tripped" by an object in the road, or driving onto soft soil
The driver suffering from fatigue or driving too fast for the current road and/or weather conditions. Traveling at high speeds and losing control may cause the van to slide sideways off the road
The van's tires digging into grass or dirt covered areas such as medians or the areas along the edges of roads
The driver overcorrecting the steering wheel during an emergency situation. Depending on the speed of the vehicle, such as driving on a freeway, this can result in the van sliding sideways and ending in a rollover

If you have been involved in a 15-passenger van rollover and sustained serious injuries such as, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury, you have rights and should take action.

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